The Non-Existent
by Fate Camiswhil
Summary: It was her brother's birthday so she came over to surprise him, but he wasn't there. He was nowhere to be found, as if his entire existence merely vanished. She sets out to find him, along with his so-called best friend, to prove that she had a brother. But then again, what was there to prove? He was never alive to begin with. —For AC-VDP! AsuCaga Forever!
1. Happy Birthday!

Long time no see, you guys!^^

In participation to my fandom's **"AsuCaga Valentine's Day Parade"**, I decided to publish this crap I made out of my failed NaNoWriMo entry...XD

I hope this gets me to come back for good, and hopefully to stay for the better...X3

**Disclaimer:** Been there, done that..

**HAPPY VIOLENTINE'S DAY!**

* * *

**"The Non-Existent"**

**Chapter 1: Happy Birthday.**

Cagalli released a silent breath of relief, seeing the sky as she walked downtown was a nice breather after a hard day's work. She just got back from her part-time job as a cashier in the local bookstore. It was early in the afternoon and the sky was slowly getting stained red, a constant sign telling her that she was able to make it through yet another day.

How long has it been like this? Living wasn't as tiring as this back when she was still living with her brother, but that was already in the past and it was better this way, a simple life where she goes to school and work everyday, study with classmates, serve customers and go home. It was the life that she wanted, a life of independence where she'd be responsible of herself and nothing more.

The life of a simple working student.

Of course, it wasn't as bad and as trivial as it sounds. She was never the girly type to be picky anyway, she could handle the menial tasks and she isn't clumsy either to worry about messing up. It was fine; it was fine if things stayed as it is.

She had friends, ate three times a day, and has fun every other time. But then, there was this nagging feeling, irking her from her gut. The excitement she felt the first time she arrived in this town was slowly fading, she was probably getting bored.

She sighed again. Did she need a new adventure? Who knows, but one thing's for sure, she'd stick around for a little while longer. Maybe, at least until summer vacation's over. She's gonna start boarding school next semester anyway.

She stopped. A plain apartment building in front of her, this was where she stayed. She didn't see the need to buy a house, it's not like she was planning to stay here permanently from the start anyway. She knew she was probably gonna move sooner or later, but she didn't expect to be growing bored this fast, she wasn't like that, or maybe she was just getting tired.

No, it's not like that either. It was more like, she was getting used to it. And that takes out the fun in it.

She walked on, entering the building and climbing up the stairs to the second floor, her room was at the end of the hallway. Quickly fishing out her keys, she unlocked the door, slowly opening it. As usual, she was welcomed by darkness. And again, that feeling. She rolled her eyes at her own silliness, then she turned on the lights to shake the feeling off. It was the only thing she could do for now.

It was a small empty room with faded wallpapers starting to tear itself off, a single bed by the window, a sofa, a table and a chair by the sink. She didn't have her own bathroom, but it never bothered her to take the walk downstairs. She was just fine with whatever.

She took a step inside, then frowned. Something felt too eerie; it wasn't the usual emptiness that greeted her. This time, something was there, she could almost feel it. She slightly shook her head and walked over to the window, opened it to let in some fresh air and turned to look at the calendar hanging behind the table.

She smiled to herself, tomorrow was her brother's birthday.

* * *

A 21-year-old guy with deep blue hair and sullen green eyes, kept walking absentmindedly in the middle of a parking lot basement. He was looking for his car, forgot where he parked it because he was already running late earlier.

He sighed, feeling slightly annoyed. Today just wasn't his day and everything feels like it's all about to get even worse.

He woke up an hour late, forgetting to set his alarm clock the night before; he took an ice-cold shower, unaware that the plumbing system was broken; he skipped breakfast because the fridge was empty; his clothes weren't ironed since he couldn't find where the iron was; he got to work almost two hours later because his car broke down; accidentally spilled his coffee all over the table during an important meeting; and now he can't seem to find his car.

He then finally gave in to the urge of slapping his forehead, his car was towed away earlier into a garage somewhere to be fixed, and that's why he came even later than expected. He turned and walked out of the lot, taking out a card from his pocket, he dialed the numbers on his phone. At the very least, he was able to get the card of the auto repair shop which took his car away. Three rings, five rings, no one was answering.

"Damn it all."

He lightly cursed as he canceled the call, and just when someone answered it. He clenched his teeth and tightly shut his eyes before mustering yet another deep breath. He could go berserk any moment now, deciding to put his cellphone back in its safe place.

He continued on his way, hailing a taxi. Unfortunately for him, his luck refuses to get any better. After more than fifteen minutes of standing by the side of the street, waving his arms up and down, he finally got tired and gave up. He proceeded to the nearest bus stop which was about three blocks away, sat tiredly at the shed and waited for over thirty minutes, having missed the previous one by five.

It was the first time in a long time that he's ridden a bus, the last time being... He blinked a couple of times, he couldn't quite remember when the last time was, and if memory serves him right, he has never ridden a bus before.

So, how did he know where to ride one, then? And how come there was such a nostalgic feeling about this?

He leaned his face on the glass window, mindlessly watching buildings pass. This was a nice city and he had such a nice life, so what was he missing? Since he woke up this morning, he felt as if he lost something important, but he just couldn't point his finger at it. He closed his eyes momentarily and tried his best to relax, maybe work was getting to him, maybe he needed a vacation.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate. It was his fiancée, saying that she'd come over to pick him up so they could have dinner outside. He wasn't really in the mood for this, he felt so down since morning. But then, maybe it would be good for him, and besides, it's not like he could say no to her either. He replied with a simple 'all right', it was all he could get himself to say, it was just an arranged marriage after all. Then again, it's not like he didn't like her, it's just that she felt more like a sister to him then a potential romantic partner.

He sighed again, the next block would be his stop.

Quickly getting off the bus, he proceeded on his way, his apartment wasn't far from the bus stop but it was still a walk away. He entered the building, greeted the receptionist and went off to the elevator, his unit being on the third floor. The long hallways had always been quiet, but tonight it bothered him more than he would've liked. Taking out the key for his unit, he was alerted when he took notice of something unusual. The door was unlocked.

He frowned, thinking he'd have a long talk with the security manager later. He turned the knob as quietly as he could, and slowly eased the door open. Whoever this burglar was, he's gonna seriously regret ever picking his room.

He stepped inside and looked around; it was too quiet for someone who's trying to steal all his valuable stuff. He then heard a clank coming from the kitchen, placing his suitcase down, he grabbed a baseball bat from his closet and slowly approached the next room. Peeking inside, he was surprised to see that the burglar was, a girl?

He blinked twice, it was a blonde girl wearing a loose shirt, jeans and sneakers. She didn't seem to notice him though, as she continued on what she was doing. Feeling slightly relieved but still taken aback, he placed the bat down. Unfortunately, it didn't lean on the wall as he thought and it fell, hitting the floor hard. But instead of startling the girl, he was surprised when she turned around showing a cake to him.

"Happy Birthday, Kira—", she stopped halfway through when she saw that it wasn't her brother, "where's Kira? He's not with you?" Thinking that it was her brother's roommate, she carefully placed the cake back on the counter, but before she was able to ask anything more, he spoke but didn't really answer her.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, surprisingly rude, so he tried adding another question, "and just what are you doing in my unit?"

"Oh? Sorry about entering without permission, my bad." She smiled sheepishly as she walked towards the guy, "I just wanted to surprise my brother, I'm Kira's sister, Cagalli. Nice to meet you," she extended a hand.

Without thinking, he accepted and shook it, "I'm Athrun, nice to meet you too. But I think, you got the wrong room, sorry."

The blonde stared dumbfounded at him, "oh! oh, I'm so sorry!" She quickly took the cake and her bag, all the while apologizing as she walked out the door.

Athrun just watched her go, but just after a few seconds, he heard a knock. Thinking she must've forgotten something, he opened the door to let her in, but she just stood there looking lost.

"Uhm, but it says 803 on top of your door... and I am looking for room 803." She said, looking almost determined.

He stared at her just as determined, "well, there must be some mistake because I don't know anyone by the name Kira and I don't even have a roommate."

She continued to stare at him, almost looking defeated. "What are you saying?" She walked back in, passing him and placed the cake on the coffee table before heading towards the two bedrooms. She tried to open the one on the right, banging on the door, trying to break it down but it wouldn't budge. "This is Kira's room!" She yelled, looking back at Athrun who followed her there.

"That room's empty and hasn't been used since I started living here, there's nothing there." He played cold but was actually starting to feel sympathy towards her, still he was stubborn, he had the worse day of his life and now is not the time for him to be trying to help others when he can't even help himself.

"But! But..."

He held her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes, "let me say this again, I don't know any Kira and I don't have a roommate, you must've gotten the wrong address or something." He tried his best to convince her of his truth, when he thought he heard footsteps.

"Athrun? What's going on here?" A familiar voice was heard, that's when he remembered he left the door wide open.

"Lacus!" The blonde escaped from his grip and ran to his fiancée's side.

_'They know each other?'_ He thought to himself as he stared at the two girls.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Cagalli hugged the newly-arrived brunette, "listen, it's about your boyfriend, my brother, Kira."

Lacus looked cluelessly at the desperate expression on the blonde's face but failed to say anything, then shifted to see Athrun's reaction. Athrun shook his head before grabbing Cagalli on her shoulders again, he turned her to him, "look, Lacus here is my fiancée and we both don't know who Kira is." He checked on Lacus to see if she would disagree, but she didn't.

"What?! What are you saying?" Cagalli turned to Lacus, "we met before, Kira introduced us at the Heliopolis Café, my brother is your boyfriend, not this guy!"

Lacus felt sorry for the blonde girl, but she seriously don't know what she was talking about. She doesn't know her and she most certainly did not know Kira ether, "I'm sorry."

That was when tears started forming at the corners of her eyes, she didn't understand why Kira's girlfriend and roommate were both denying ever knowing him. What the hell was going on? What happened to Kira then? Well, no matter what it is, she'll figure it out. But for now, she can't forgive this kind of betrayal these people have done to her brother.

She turned to Athrun, ignoring her tears and slapped him hard across the face, "you were supposed to be his best friend!"

With that, she ran out crying, leaving both Athrun and Lacus shocked out of their wits.

"Are you all right, Athrun?" Lacus walked over to his side, but for some reason she felt more worry for the blonde girl than her fiancé.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But that girl sure isn't, she's crazy!" Athrun turned around to look at the cake the blonde left over, it had the words, 'Happy Birthday, Kira!' on it. He did feel kinda sorry for her, just not to the point where he'd actually try doing something about it. Also, that slap hurt, he rubbed his cheek. "So, where are we going tonight?" He remembered why she was there and felt that he needed a little distraction to keep his mind from all those other things.

"Oh, right!" Lacus took his arm and dragged him out of his unit, when she was closing the door she was able to catch a glimpse of the cake on the coffee table. She wondered, that girl knew Athrun's birthday?

Having been told that her fiancé's car got towed away, Lacus opted to hail a taxi, and with just one wave of her handkerchief, a taxi had immediately stopped before them. And it was then when Athrun realized that Taxi drivers really do choose their passengers.

The ride on their way to the restaurant had been completely silent, Lacus was busying herself, looking out the window. While Athrun was just mindlessly staring at his hands curled up a little on his lap.

When they got there, Lacus pulled on his arm again and led him inside. As it seems, she booked a VIP room for their dinner, which really surprised Athrun. She wasn't the type to go this far and not for him since he knew she wasn't in love with him, she told him so. So, why would she do something like this? Why now? Is this supposed to be a good karma for all the bad things that happened to him today?

Nope, certainly not. He thought to himself, he was not gonna get his hopes up for something that is clearly not possible. Not to mention that it would make him feel awkward, given their circumstances.

Lacus pushed him down a solitary seat in front of a round table, the lights were dimmed so he couldn't quite make out the expression on her face to try to figure out where this was heading. "Uhm, Lacus? Just exactly what are you—", he stopped himself in mid-sentence when he suddenly heard low singing voices, they were singing to the tune of the classic 'Happy Birthday' song, while slowly approaching him. It was his friends and co-workers.

After they arrived near the table, they all broke away to let Lacus walk in the middle, carrying a cake with a single candle on it.

"Happy birthday, Athrun!" They all greeted, cheered and clapped, waiting for Athrun to blow the candle. But he didn't, he just stared at all of them with great shock evident on his face.

It was _not_ his birthday.

"Is this some kind of a joke or something? Because if it is, it's not funny." He matched the stare, his friends and co-workers were giving him.

"What are you talking about? We prepared so well just so we could surprise you," Dearka, an office-mate, was the one who answered.

Athrun said no more, he looked at Lacus, "are you all seriously thinking that today's my birthday?"

Lacus blinked a couple of times before looking down to think about today's date, then looked to meet his gaze again. "I'm pretty sure today was your birthday, is it really not?"

Athrun was flabbergasted to say the least, "how could you not know when my birthday is?"

"Isn't it today? I'm pretty sure it's today," she looked down, trying to concentrate on her thoughts. Today is Athrun's birthday, she's strongly certain of it.

"My birthday isn't until october, Lacus." While that sounded too bitter even for him, he couldn't hide his disappointment. There must be something seriously wrong with her, he thought.

"Are you two screwing with us? This VIP room is expensive!" Yzak, a friend to some extent, disrupted them.

"Yeah, and I had to cancel a date for this," Dearka continued to whine.

Nicol, another long-time friend, couldn't help feeling uneasy. He was also feeling kinda sorry for Lacus, since Athrun really looked upset, so he tried lightening up the mood with a somewhat misplaced, joke? "So, if it isn't your birthday today , then who's birthday is it?"

Athrun didn't regard him and his lame attempt, but it was because of what he said that he looked at the birthday cake, he shivered. Written on the cake were the exact same words written on the cake that crazy blonde left in his apartment, 'Happy Birthday, Kira'.

He swallowed an imaginary lump down his throat, before looking at the faces of the people around him. None of them seemed to notice, that it wasn't his name on the cake but someone else's. He then, remembered the crazy blonde and her cake, and everything that happened a while back in his apartment.

Just who was this Kira? Was he really his roommate? And if he was, then where is he now? What the hell happened to all of them? What was going on? He shook his head and pulled on his hair, he was not going crazy. But then, how would you explain all of this? The only person who has all the answers to all of his questions, was that crazy blonde. He thought again, should he even consider this?

He heaved a deep sigh before standing from his chair, "sorry guys... but I'm already tired, I'm going home."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

As I've said in my profile, I don't publish oneshots because I feel they're too damn short for me, so this is gonna be another fun-filled multi-chapter from me.

I do hope you guys like it because I think this'll be my very first masterpiece.

(.^_^.)

~Lynx

02142013


	2. Through The Door

Yeah, it's nice to be back! Thanks guys!^^

By the way, for those who are waiting for an update on LIAFT (Life Is A Fairy Tale), I'm taking my sweet time gathering my knack in writing that so, I'll be sure to update eventually...XD

**Happy Birthday, Nicol! **(just wanted to greet him even though he has no part in this... yet?)

* * *

**"The Non-Existent"**

**Chapter 2: Through The Door.**

Cagalli woke up with sore eyes, red from all the crying she did last night. She remembered running away from that guy's apartment, into the streets were she tried walking the long road home, but her feet gave up on her. In the end she had to board the bus for it was still about an hour ride home.

When she got into her room, she walked towards her bed and just collapsed there. Nothing was making any sense and she was starting to really get worried about her brother, just where the hell was he? What happened to him? And how come those people forgot about him? It hasn't even been three months since she met Lacus, when Kira formally introduced her as his girlfriend.

She rolled over in her place, trying to avoid the sun's rays from hitting her face, then she saw her dresser at the corner of the room. It was dusty and was never really used much, what was in there anyway? And that's when it hit her, she immediately tried to stand and fell on her knees in front of the old beaten up dresser. She quickly pulled open the one at the bottom, tossing away books and papers over what she was looking for. She was certain this would be able to help her a lot to getting the answers for all the questions she has.

A couple of more tossing and throwing, she finally found what she was looking for.

An old family album.

She panted, while trying to ease herself to relax, she had never been once glad to see this old thing.

She went back to her bed and sat where the sun's rays would hit her, she needed the light to see the pictures clearly. She heaved a deep breath, mustering all of her courage to make sure she doesn't cry after seeing the pictures in it. Well, she would try anyway.

She opened the album and the first picture that greeted her on the first page was her family, when they were still a family. A smiling father, holding her laughing self up in his arms, while her beaming mother was tightly holding onto—wait, "what the hell?" She thought aloud, her mother was supposed to be holding onto her brother in this picture, but how come she was merely standing there with her hands curled? Where was Kira? Why was there only three persons in this picture?

She trembled, all the while feeling the hairs at the back of her neck stand straight. She closed her eyes and violently shook her head, letting her hand turn over to the next page. The next picture was supposed to be her and her brother, Kira, riding a horse together at her grandfather's farm. And again, it was just her, riding the horse on her own. She started to panic, turning to all the pages with such speed, but she would never miss noticing that her brother was not in any of the pictures. She turned over the album again and looked at all the pictures over and over and over again. But still, her brother wasn't in any of it.

It was as if he just vanished, along with his entire existence.

But how could that be? There was just no way, it's impossible and she wasn't crazy either.

She had to make sure, she had to know where he is and what happened to him, even if it means seeing those _two_ again.

* * *

Athrun was laying in his bed, blankly staring at the ceiling for almost an hour now, he woke up earlier to the desperate call of his fiancée, and how does he answer it? He doesn't, he merely turned the phone off.

He was feeling strongly groggy and it was apparent in the dark circles under his eyes, that he didn't really have a good sleep. He sighed exasperatedly, by this time he was already late for over two hours, if he gives an effort and head out now, he might just make it before lunch or so. But nope, he's decided not to go to work today. He doesn't want to end up bumping into the co-workers he left at the party last night, not to mention that he wouldn't wanna end up trying to explain himself because he honestly doesn't have a clue.

So then, should he look for that crazy blonde?

Nah, not gonna happen. He got up and walked over to the coffee maker to fix himself a drink, he wasn't in the mood to eat anything right now anyway. Still, without thinking about it, he opened the fridge looking for nothing. And he saw it yet again, the proof that everything that happened yesterday really did happen. That stupid cake with some guy's name on it. He slammed the fridge door closed, this is seriously starting to irritate him to no end.

Taking his coffee to his table, he started thinking of what his co-workers would be doing or thinking about after last night, he sure hoped they won't start dropping by his unit later. Then, he thought about how much extra work he had to do tomorrow to make up for his absence today and looked at the calendar hanging from the dining room wall, when he noticed something unfamiliar. He got up to check on it, walking near to the calendar.

It was a small backward slash made by a black pen, in front of the digits of the date. What the heck was that for? And he certainly didn't remember making it himself.

Feeling curious, he took the calendar off the wall and placed it on the table before flipping it back to the previous month, his eyes narrowed. The small backward slash was merely a beginning for a check mark, which marked the deadlines for when he has to pay the installment for the unit. He checked all the other months and all of them had the same mark, even the months yet to come. But he wasn't the type to do something like this, knowing himself he would just put a reminder on his phone or something.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took slow deep breaths, in any case he has to pay the installment later. He looked around him, it would definitely be a good excuse to take the a little walk and get some air into his head, then he could get some food to put inside that empty fridge of his. He grabbed a jacket and took a quick glance of himself in the mirror before walking out the door, making sure he locked it.

When he got to the counter, he merely placed his card down and said, "for this month."

The receptionist took the card and with a quick swipe, the receipt came out. It had always been a fast transaction, there was never a need to bother much about it. He accepted the small piece of paper and while walking away, opened his wallet to place the new receipt there, taking out the old one to dispose of it. The trash bins were usually near exits, he would throw it away on the way out. Tinkering on the little paper, wondering if it were better crumpled or folded, he caught a glimpse of the amount payed last month. And he was surprised to discover that it was merely half of the agreed fee per month, he frowned and turned back to ask the receptionist.

"Miss, can I ask why my fee for the previous month was cut in half?" He asked, completely baffled, even if it was a discount by some strange luck, it would still not cut off his bills in half.

The receptionist took the paper and checked on it, opening the computer log. "Well, sir. It appears that even though this receipt only payed half, your entire ledger says you've payed the sufficient amount every month."

"How the hell did that happen? Didn't I just pay the full fee earlier?"

The receptionist got surprised a little, but she did know how fees could be cut in half by another transaction. "Well, uhm... do you have a roommate?"

* * *

Cagalli stood outside the gates of a big estate, this was where her father lived, and his new family. This was the first time she visited here, never really having the slightest care to let him know she's still alive after all this time. She tried to just walk right in, but was stopped by a big man in a security uniform, "where do you think you're going?"

She stared up at him, not showing even just a little bit of fright, "my father lives in there, can't I enter?"

The big man merely chuckled, but when he noticed her gaze weren't faltering, he regarded her for a moment. "Well, if I squeeze my eyes a little, you would look almost like..." his eyes slowly widened as realization dawned him, "princess?"

"Don't call me like that!" She barked, quickly pushing the big man aside so she could walk in, and played deaf ears to the calls. She doesn't need to bother about them, it's not like she was planning on staying here for a while anyway, just one question, that one question and she'll show herself out straight afterwards.

Arriving at the front door, she didn't need to knock since the security had already called in, a tall man in a butler uniform greeted her as he opened the door for her. With a mere nod, she informed him of what she came there for, "I want to see my father, it won't take long." If only she knew her way around that mansion, there wouldn't be any need to bother about this man, she thought.

The man bowed his head with a sigh, then motioned her to follow him. They went up the staircase, walked through a long corridor, passed many rooms until they reached her father's study. And everything she saw on their way, gave her a pretty good idea of how well off her father was... and his new wife.

"He's in here," the butler looked back at her before raising his hands to knock. Through this door, lies half of the past she left behind with her brother, the past she wished she didn't have, the past she tried so hard to forget, the past that she wouldn't dare look back to anymore.

Again, the man opened it for her and she walked straight in, hearing the door shut softly behind her, she stopped in front of a desk in the middle of the room. And there he was, the father she used to have.

"Well, if it isn't my long lost daughter... you're still alive, I see." He was reading the newspaper, not even bothering to check who it was for he was already informed of it a while back. "So, what brings you here? It has to be important, right? You wouldn't have come here personally if it wasn't."

"Do you know where Kira is?" She narrowed her eyes, prepared to absorb whatever reaction he makes.

"Kira what? I know several Kira's, be specific." He folded the newspaper and placed it down.

Cagalli merely blinked, why is she not surprised? "Never mind," she turned to take her leave, but her father spoke again.

"I said, which Kira are you talking about? If you're not gonna tell me, how can I help you?" He father was preparing to stand when she looked back.

"No, I kinda knew you couldn't from the start," the fact that he didn't know which Kira she was talking about was good enough, she made her exit and walked away fast, she wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of her step-siblings, even if they were civil.

"Wait! That's it? You came all the way here just for that and without even getting the answer, you'll just walk away?" Her father came after her, matching her pace as best he could.

"You're wrong, I already got my answer." with that, she left. Exiting the gates, without a dare to look back, if she did she knows she'd lose the battle she's been fighting on with herself for over ten years now. She swore she's never going back, she should've kept it.

After all, they were long dead for her.

* * *

Athrun walked back into his room, after hearing that stupid question from the receptionist, he already lost all the need to step outside, and yes, he'd rather starve himself to death. He closed the door, leaned on it before giving in to gravity and letting himself slide to the floor. He felt so drained, so exhausted that the mere process of thinking was killing him. This was not good, he pulled on his hair and fell sideways, he was now completely lying on the floor.

This was the first time something like this happened to him, it felt like he was really going crazy or something along those lines. But no, of course he can't give up his reality, he just needed rest, a long overdue sleep would surely be nice, and would help him get back on his feet for work the next day. Yes, he convinced himself, he would just sleep it all away and he'll feel a lot better tomorrow.

He looked to the direction of his room, it would take all of his strength to get up from where he is, and take that stretch of walk to his beloved bed. He then thought, it's his place anyway, can't he just sleep on the floor? It's not like anyone's gonna find out, right? Then again, could he sleep being so uncomfortable like that? The floor was kinda hard and cold, and it would certainly make his back ache in the morning, he decided against it.

Mustering all of what's left of his strength, he got up on fours, he was gonna crawl his way there, that's the best he could do with his tiny bit of energy. He was also feeling a little hot, it must be a fever coming up on him and just in the best of timings.

"God, what have I done?" He muttered bitterly to himself, he knew he wasn't the kindest man on earth, but what he did to deserve this, he clearly didn't know. He tried to stand up, holding onto the coffee table to steady himself and once again, took a glance at his bedroom door. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the other door, the door leading to the bedroom of his so-called roommate who didn't even exist.

What the hell was he thinking? He had a fever, he was groggy, he hasn't eaten anything yet. Yes, it's all just that and nothing more.

He was finally able to stand, keeping a hand on his head, feeling like if it became too heavy, it might fall off. He chuckled at himself, he was probably delusional. When he got to his door, he quickly tried to turn the knob, but before he could open the door, he thought he heard something. A slight thud coming through the door behind him, from "Kira's room".

He was starting to feel dizzy, but he shook his head to get a grip. He looked back at the door, and for a moment he could swear he saw a flashback, that moment when he was trying to prevent the crazy blonde from breaking the door down. He saw himself slowly walking over to her when she looked back at him, saying the words, _"This is Kira's room!"_

He shivered, now that he thought about it, he had already forgotten what was inside that room. He felt his pockets, fished out his keys and looked for the one belonging to that door.

He didn't have it.

* * *

For the second time this day, Cagalli found herself standing in front of a gate, but it wasn't as big and as intimidating as her father's place, it was actually very welcoming. The fences were very low, being only up to her waist, you can also see a lot of flowering plants and shrubs in the little garden-like yard, she had always known her to be fond of those. She guessed, her new husband allowed her to do anything she wanted, otherwise she would've stayed with her father, she thought grimly.

Cagalli wondered how her mother looked like right now, she must've changed a lot, having heard that she got pregnant last year. They haven't seen each other since the divorce, she knew she couldn't really blame her, but still, the disappointment refused to leave her. She was the person she was supposed to cling onto after all.

She suddenly heard a baby cry, she unconsciously took a step back, she couldn't interrupt, she wouldn't be able to handle it. She wasn't her mother anymore, and although that sounds absolutely bitter, she just didn't wanna see her being a mother to someone else, after she abandoned her and her brother.

The crying stopped immediately, she figured the mother was already there. She turned to take her leave, she'd come back some other day, hopefully when the baby is sleeping, or maybe she wouldn't come back at all.

Two steps and she heard a call, her mother had instantly made her way outside, she must've seen her through the window or something. "Cagalli!"

She didn't know how to feel, she couldn't say she had mixed emotions either, having felt nothing at all. She didn't miss her like she thought, she got so used to not having her around that it didn't matter anymore. There was probably no way she'd know how to feel now, she guessed. But she won't be blamed either, she knew they can't, they don't have the right to.

Her mother slowly walked down the porch, but she didn't move further than that. Cagalli stared at her, unlike her mother who's face showed longing, her expression was most likely blank. Her mother hasn't changed much, she was just like how she was before, and so, she didn't need to react.

"I just wanna know if you have an idea on Kira's whereabouts?" She might as well ask her now, right? She's already here anyway.

Her mother looked baffled, as if not aware of what her long lost daughter was talking about, "I'm not sure I know who you're talking about." She started walking nearer, "but anyway, why don't you come inside for a while?" She smiled a sorry smile.

But Cagalli merely stared, how could she forget the first person she ever brought life to? "How could you...? How could you all forget about him just like that? He was my brother!" She couldn't stop herself anymore, she was angry at all of them, how could they all do this to him?

"What're you talking about?" The lady tried to come near the fence which separated them.

Cagalli shook her head disapprovingly, not wanting to believe it, turned to her back trying to suppress her feelings and started walking away. She would not cry in front of her and she's had enough of this, if they can't remember Kira, then there's nothing she could do about that. She'll just have to make ways of getting him back on her own, it's not like she expected them to be of any help anyway.

"Cagalli!" Her mother called again, but she wouldn't look back. "You don't have a brother, you're an only child!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, yeah... I'm almost done building up the crisis, so I hope this would get more interesting...XD

(.^_^.)

~Lynx

03012013


	3. His RoomMate

Thank you so much for the reviews!

Light-Sakura: You know me so well... (*evil laugh!*)

Miss Peeps: There'd be more dialogues once I'm done with the build-up...^^ As for my tenses, I honestly don't know what to do about that, everything sounds fine when I read them aloud, are they really that bad? Or do I over-exaggerate my intensifiers?

**Is this Sci-Fi or Fantasy?**

Well, the original plot was supposed to be Sci-Fi, but I figured that would be tedious and I wouldn't wanna bore my readers with such lengthy explanations about the things they don't even care about... Still, I refuse to call this Fantasy because that sounds childish and I don't have fairies in here so... I think it's safe to call this "Supernatural" or something of the Paranormal type...^^ I hope that's good enough...XD

**Belated Happy White's Day! and...**

**Happy Birthday, Flay!^^ I still love you even if everybody hates you... *evil laugh!***

(she's the reason I updated today so be grateful...XD)

* * *

**"The Non-Existent"**

******Chapter 3: His Roommate.**  


Finally, his fever went down, he's been sleeping all day and he seriously has to get up now or he's really gonna starve to death. He wore his jacket again, this time he's gonna go straight outside to buy groceries and not think about anything but that. He grabbed his keys, his money, his phone and opened his bedroom door just to see the door of his non-existent roommate again. He wasn't as cautious as this back then, but after everything that happened, there's no telling when other so-called "coincidences" start happening again, and one after another too.

He walked off, trying to act as normal as he could, and opened the front door. But before he locked it, he spared a glance towards the direction of that other bedroom, he's gonna have to ask the manager for an extra key later, he could just say he lost it, right?

He pulled tightly on his jacket, it was supposed to be hot this time of the year, but for him who just had a fever, it's freezing. The walk to the nearest grocery store was about two blocks away, it wasn't that far at all, but for some reason he felt kinda weird walking down this road. The buildings, the houses, the shops, the streets, they were all rather unfamiliar to him. But it's not the first time he's been here, still it appears that he hasn't been here often either, which is weird for a guy living alone two blocks away. If it were under normal circumstances, he should be very familiar of taking this route, after all groceries are weekly necessities. Keyword: normal circumstances, he noted in his mind.

"But it's not like anyone's gonna buy them for me, right?" He whispered to himself, there's just no way that was possible, whatever that was. I'm really gonna need that extra key, he thought, he has to know what's inside that room. He walked faster.

Upon reaching the grocery store, he went in, took a basket and started walking down one aisle. But there was a problem, he had no idea on what he actually needs to buy. "Anything that I could eat, would do," his patience was starting to run out, he didn't like where his suspicions were going. He didn't like not knowing what was going on and why things like these were happening. Buying groceries felt so new to him, like he's never done it before. But that shouldn't be the case, he should be used to this already, he's been by himself for over a year now, right?

He grabbed meat, bread, noodles, cookies, chips, and all those other things that didn't need much cooking, he knew he wasn't the best chef. As soon as his basket was full, he headed for the counter, there wasn't any need in staying there much longer. He had to admit that he was feeling kinda awkward being there in the first place.

When he got there, the middle-aged lady stared at him for a moment before grabbing his goods and doing her job. "You new here, mister? Haven't seen you before," the lady muttered audibly while swiping each item.

He chuckled sheepishly, "kinda, I don't go out much."

The lady didn't reply anymore, which made him glad since any more of this conversation and he might end up saying something crazy. He got the bag, made a swift exit and headed home. On the way back, he thought yet again, what if he did have a roommate there? What would he be like? Would they get along? Well, probably, since they were sharing a unit after all. But would he really be that crazy blonde's brother, if so, he should've known her too, and she definitely knew Lacus. Then, how come they don't remember? And how come she does?

He reached the complex, stopped by the receptionist, taking the extra key and went back to his room. He placed the bags on the table, setting them aside for later since he thought this was more important, he honestly wouldn't regain his peace of mind until he makes everything clear for himself.

He walked, stood in front of the door and braced himself for whatever happens, before carefully inserting the key and turning he knob. He didn't know what to expect, what would be there if the guy suddenly went missing?

The answer, nothing.

There was absolutely nothing, it was just a normal room, identical to his when he first got there. A bed, a desk, empty dressers and bookshelves. He laughed nervously at himself, of course there was nothing there, what was he expecting? Shaking his head, he walked in, feeling each step get heavier by the swing of his legs. There wasn't anything odd really, so why was he feeling a bit disappointed? Did he really think there was something in there? Did he really want something to be in there? Why?

"This is stupid, I'm probably just hungry," he said to himself as he turned to his back and prepared to exit, when suddenly, cold breeze passed him. He looked back to what seems to be an open window, "has that been open all this time?" He knew he probably shouldn't, but he had to close it for security measures, who knows when some real burglar would just break in through it, right?

He pulled on the lid and shut it tight, locking it as well. Then, he noticed that the window was clear, too clear and too clean, it was as if it was just used. He looked at the bed, the desk, the dressers and the bookshelves, there was not a dust in sight. How did that happen when the room has been locked up tight since over a year ago?

He turned back to the window, looking down on the latch, he touched it and it was surprisingly smooth, as though it was polished regularly. Suddenly, he thought he saw a reflection on the window, a blurry image of a man standing behind him, who's face he couldn't quite see. Chills ran down his spine as he turned to look back as fast as he could, but there was no one there.

He chuckled to himself, he must've been over-thinking things to start hallucinating on his own. He headed out, there was no need to keep troubling himself with things that aren't really there, and yet he had to admit that he was still kinda troubled. He held the knob and was about to pull the door closed when again, he saw the blurry reflection on the window.

_"Athrun! Wake up already, it's seven!"_

_"Call a plumber, Athrun! The bathroom's broken!"_

_"Sorry, Athrun. I forgot to buy groceries last night, let's just grab some breakfast at the café or something."_

_"The clothing iron is at the bottom cabinet, Athrun."_

_"Hey, Athrun. I think we need to get your car fixed, the engine's dying."_

_"Let's just take the bus, Athrun. It'll be just a couple of blocks away."_

_"Athrun, I marked the calendar so just check on that, okay? Don't worry, I'll always pay my share on time."_

_"You should learn how to take care of yourself, Athrun. I'm not always gonna be here, you know."_

So that's how it was, every bad thing that happened to him that day suddenly made perfect sense. He really was missing something, or rather, someone. And that was his voice, reminding him of everything he shouldn't have missed. Athrun allowed his shoulders to slump, he didn't only feel sad and lonely, he was also quite disappointed at himself. "Kira...?"

* * *

Lacus knocked again, this was already her fourth attempt, and still he refused to open up. Athrun has been absent for over a week now since that failed birthday party, that wasn't for him to begin with either. His phone's been dead since then as well, "seriously, he knows just how to make people worry about him," she muttered to herself, before taking another deep breath and once again, raising her hand to knock. But just before her knuckles hit the door, it suddenly opened to reveal Athrun in a state that couldn't be like him.

"What... happened to you? Are you all right?" Lacus tried hard not to stare him down, he looked sick.

"Does it matter?" Athrun was not in the mood for this now, for some reason he was never in the mood for whatever that has something to do with her.

"Nicol called me yesterday, when you didn't show up for an important contract-signing, he said the clients were looking for you." She pushed her way inside, refusing to talk in the hallway.

"Oh... that was yesterday?!" He totally forgot about that, it didn't even cross his mind the entire time he was lazing around.

"Obviously," she tried not to sound sarcastic, but she just couldn't help getting disappointed.

"Shit," he said no more.

Lacus stared at him again, he was such in a mess it doesn't surprise her that he remains unaware. "What have you been doing these past few days?"

Athrun hesitated for a moment, he didn't know how to explain it since he doesn't understand it himself. He fell into such a great depression, even without knowing why. Well, he does have an idea, but it's too stupid for him to believe it himself. "Nothing, just thinking... what did you come all the way here for anyway?"

She knew he was merely changing the subject, but she won't push it, she wouldn't want him to get enough reason to get mad at her later. "Oh, that's right. I want you to come with me back at my place, there's something I've been meaning to show you."

Athrun didn't react any further, he was willing to get his head off this stupid problem even if it means going along with whatever kind of whim this girl has. "Sure, whatever."

* * *

"They're coming," she murmured softly to herself as she opened her eyes and slowly raised her head. She almost fell asleep in the library again, but it was all right since she was the only person in that area anyway. Usually, there'd be a lot of students and people here all alike, but since it was in the middle of summer she had all the while to dawdle around here. No one comes to the library at summer, with the exception of her because she knew no one would come here.

She didn't like people much, being orphaned at a young age, it had always been hard for her to express herself, trusting people was too risky and such a bother especially since she couldn't care less. She didn't wanna be normal like everybody else, she knew long ago reality wasn't everything, she wanted to see beyond what everybody else sees, and that's why she's here, to see for herself something that other people don't.

She stared at the yearbook lying open in front of her, it was filled with pictures of random people and their random names. But there was something special with this certain page, there was one person missing.

Unlike people, things don't really vanish, they just lose their owner but will remain tangible. Just like his belongings, which were never his.

She took a pen, red in color and wrote his name over that one slot. She figured his sister would eventually come here, and although she didn't wanna have anything to do with it, she just didn't want her to think she's crazy. She would give her something to cling onto even if it was useless, she was still a friend of his after all.

She then stood, brought the book and slid it into it's place, walking out the aisle she saw a blonde enter the library. She gripped her pen tightly, and calmly approached the counter to sign her name on the log book before taking her leave.

Cagalli made her way to the same counter, asking the librarian for record books, class lists, enrollments, anything that had the proof of her brother attending his school. The librarian quickly pointed her to the aisle near the back, but didn't allow her to go there until she signed her name.

She looked at the log book as a redhead just finished signing her name, the girl pushed the log to her direction and handed her the pen. "Thank you," she said curtly as she took the pen and wrote her name just under the redhead's, she noticed the pen had red ink and only their names were written in that color.

The redhead didn't wait for her to finish, walking past her with a soft whisper, "it's futile."

Immediately coming to a stop, Cagalli raised her head to look at the redhead, but she was already gone, the double doors swung closed. She suddenly felt her heart race, as if she was given a warning of some sort, but why, she wouldn't know. Panic started taking over her as she quickly turned to run towards the aisle, she might find her answer there.

After the unfortunate reunion with her father and mother the week before, she was practically left on her own now. She remembered back then, Kira, being three years older than her, was the one who raised her and took care of everything when their family fell apart. He struggled to work while studying, tended after her and guided her, he had always been there. She admitted it to herself long ago that she had always admired him, he was the one who inspired her to live an independent life. She wanted to be like him and didn't wanna be a burden just as much.

The more she thought of him, the more she missed him. It also didn't help the fact that she felt somewhat helpless without him, which made her only more desperate to look for him now.

She had already visited the company he was working for, the university he studied in, the hospital where they were delivered. But there was nothing, not even a slight trace of his existence, it was as if he was never born.

Now, she was on the last place, if she isn't able to find anything here, she wouldn't know where else to look.

All they had were yearbooks, most of the lists and records were put in the websites, which she already checked before coming here. She knew the library wouldn't offer much but she just had to try, she looked for the year on the covers, carefully checking on each one until she noticed the book she was looking for wasn't completely inserted in its place.

She didn't think twice and quickly pulled it out, landing on an empty table she hurriedly scanned through it, her brother's name should be in the middle pages. But she already got to the last page, and her brother's picture wasn't there. Instead, she found his name written over an empty slot.

It was written in red ink so she instantly remembered the girl she met on her way there, but then again, it could've been anyone.

"It's futile," the words of the redhead kept ringing inside her mind. What was futile? Her search? Perhaps, but that doesn't matter anymore, she would do what she can, it was the only option she allowed herself to take.

She went back to the librarian and borrowed the book, with the thought that she would probably never return it. She would keep it, as the only evidence that she wasn't crazy and that someone else remembers him.

She was told to sign on the log book again, for her time of exit and the borrowing of the book. That was when she was given the same pen as earlier, she remembered the redhead had left it, she would probably keep that too. It was easy to look for her name since it was written in bloody red ink and she was the last person to come in.

She read the name above hers, also in red ink, which most certainly belonged to that redhead. "Flay Allster."

* * *

Athrun leaned the side of his head on the mirror of Lacus's car, she persuaded him to come over her house and much to his surprise, he has never been there before. They reached the manor, both got off the car and headed inside. Lacus didn't say much since she asked him to come and he really didn't mind, but now that they were here, shouldn't she start explaining or something?

And just when he was about to ask, Lacus turned to him and stood in front of her bedroom door. "Before I show you certain things, I want you to promise me that you won't get mad."

"I don't think I could find a reason to get mad at you even if I looked for some," his voice was sincere but he didn't say that because he loved her, the truth was, he just didn't care.

"Well, you don't have the right to be mad, anyway," she muttered to herself but he clearly heard her and it pissed him, not to the point where he'd do something about it though, he wanted to know what she meant as well.

She opened her door but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, he then wondered again how it was his first time over at his fiancée's house, and when they're already together for God knows how long.

She walked over to another door which seems to lead into another room, and opened it, walking in quietly. Athrun clearly didn't know what to expect so he was quite shocked when he followed only to see so many portraits of one man, and it wasn't him.

It was a brown-haired lad with a friendly warm smile, and he was strikingly familiar that he could swear he knew this man. His name was almost at the tip of his tongue, but before he could say what's in his mind, Lacus gave away the answer.

"This is Kira," she said too softly for her own liking and watched as Athrun stood aghast, this was horrifying indeed. Of course, she knew he would react like this, she did too, the first time she realized who it was.

Seeing the man clearly in front of him shook his knees, he let himself fall to the floor. Again, just like what happened in that empty room, he saw flashbacks. And this time, he could see his face clearly, beaming at him, they were best friends.

_"Nice to meet you, Athrun. I'm Kira."_

A distant memory of when they first met, dawned him.

Athrun slowly turned to her, eyes demanding an explanation, but she could only look away. She didn't know how to explain it herself, she would try to understand though, for Athrun, for herself and for Kira, whoever he was.

"Since that birthday party we planned out for you, I've been having dreams... lots of varying dreams that had only one common entity, this man." She approached the portrait, and unconsciously graced her fingertips at the sides of his face. There was something about this man, something that she couldn't say herself but she's certain of one thing, she's slowly believing that crazy blonde and even more so, she hopes he wasn't just a dream.

It was now Athrun's turn to scrutinize her and her peculiar behavior, he has never seen her show such fondness over a picture, or any other inanimate object for that matter. Maybe, it was because of the portrait itself.

If it was true that Kira existed before, that he was his best friend, that he was Lacus's boyfriend and that crazy blonde's brother. Then, wouldn't that mean he's not Lacus's boyfriend? It would make sense to him since he never once felt anything special for the girl, sometimes she was even kind of a bother to be honest.

Still, he wasn't sure of what to feel, should he be glad, relieved or not? And what would his friends and family say? They would certainly not believe this kind of crappy story and on the other hand, what of the blonde?

He looked at Lacus again, "so, you just drew him from your dreams?"

Lacus was startled at first, she almost forgot he was there, "yes... I... couldn't get him out of my mind so I just had to... you do know what this means, right?" She turned to him, she didn't want to say it—no, she did want to say it but she let him beat her to it.

"—That he's real and... you're breaking up with me?" He said it in an uncertain, question-like tone, but he was sure they can't be like how they were before. He remembered the accusations of the crazy blonde again, that time she slapped him for stealing the girlfriend of her so-called brother.

Lacus was a bit stunned at his sudden straightforwardness, she didn't wanna hurt his feelings but judging from that kind of a reaction, she doesn't seem to have anything to worry about in the first place. "Do you mind?"

"No, I was kinda looking forward to that actually," he was frank.

"So, what do we do now?" Lacus thought they couldn't just leave things the way they are.

"You wanna go look for the blonde?" That's right, to him she wasn't crazy anymore, for if she was then they'd all be.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yeah... sorry if AsuCaga didn't meet here, I still needed to add on some more twists to whirl things up before they meet in the next chapter, so hopefully I update soon. LOL!

(.^_^.)

~Lynx

03152013


	4. Empty Seats And Vacancies

*sighs* It's depressing how our fandom sinks even deeper in the gutter every time, I only got about five reviews for the last chapter... maybe because of Flay, but still, this doesn't feel good... maybe I should go back to LIAFT...? Let me know what you guys think...^^

**Happy Birthday, Dearka!** (If you noticed, I'm updating _occasionally_, if you know what I mean...XD)

* * *

**"The Non-Existent"**

******Chapter 4: Empty Seats And Vacancies.**

Nicol stared out of his office window, it was the usual view of the hectic city life. Tall buildings were crowding up the urban scape, cars were stuck in traffic, people were almost running in the streets chasing time. Nobody takes a moment to look up anymore, everyone's busy in their own worlds, doing what they can to have a better life. Most not realizing that perhaps, changing a mere perspective could offer a better result.

But then, who was he to talk? He's been living the good life for as long as he knew. A well off family, friends to talk to, matters to take care of, things to look forward to. He nodded to himself, he was fine, _too_ fine to be exact.

Walking out of his office, through the hallway, he suddenly took notice of door left wide open. It was one of the biggest offices in their floor, made for some higher-up, which he couldn't quite remember. He tried to shrug the feeling off and took another step to close the door. But as he reached the knob, he noticed the door didn't have a gold plate in it, unlike other offices of that same size and importance. He peeked inside and his hunch was right.

"Has this room been empty all this time?" Staring at the empty chair, he couldn't remember if their company had vacancies, and for an important position too. "I could swear someone was using this room until..."

He was broken out of his reverie when his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Athrun, saying something about filling a sick leave and apologizing to him for having him take over his work. He got a bit surprised, something must've happened. He swiftly turned and exited the room, closing the door securely. He gave the door one last glance before quickening his pace to the elevator and after a while, he was out of the building. He needed to hail a taxi fast, but before he could even put his phone back in his pocket, it vibrated again. This time it was Lacus, telling him not to worry anymore because she'd be with Athrun.

Nicol sighed, if Lacus was with him then he'll surely turn up eventually. Then he heard a loud honk, it was Dearka, he was merrily waving while driving out in his convertible. If he's that happy then that must mean he'll be going out on a date again, he wondered when he'll introduce her to them. [1]

Walking along the sidewalk, deciding to take the bus instead, he kept thinking about the weird occurrences that started happening for the past few days. After Athrun's failed birthday party, he was the one who got left at the venue to take care of the mess. Dearka was the one who took Lacus home, Yzak walked out cursing, and the rest of the guests just started disappearing, leaving him to take the gifts and the untouched cake home.

Last night, he decided to just eat some of the cake since it probably wouldn't take long for it to go bad. When he took it out of the box, he realized that they must've picked up the wrong cake because this one doesn't even have Athrun's name on it, but someone else's. Then, he looked for the receipt and the stub for the order, his eyes then slowly widened when he saw that indeed, he ordered the cake with the name "Kira" on it. He doesn't know anyone by that name, who could that be? And no wonder Athrun got mad, he's gonna have to apologize to him later for that.

He stopped for a moment, feeling a cool gentle breeze caress his being as he breathed it in, and another day is done.

* * *

As they drove back to Athrun's place, he told Lacus the entire story about the blonde, that she broke into his room, how she tried to surprise him with a cake, and how the cake had Kira's name on it. Further explaining about his extreme bad luck that day, the receipts of the unit, the flashbacks, and that vacant bedroom.

The first thing they had to do was figure out how the blonde got inside, that day she thought of surprising her brother, and then, just who was she.

Lacus tailed him as he led the way to the manager's counter, they wanted to check if the blonde asked him for a spare key or a pass, or anything before proceeding to his room. Hopefully, they'd get a name at the very least.

When they got there, Athrun immediately asked for the log book, and asked about that day while flipping through the pages. "Did a blonde girl ask for a key to her brother's room on the day of May eighteenth?"

The lady at the counter had a confused look on her face, but was able to act fast enough in helping him find the log for that date, but when they got to the right page, there wasn't any records involving the room 803.

"Are you sure it's the right date, sir? Or the right room?" The clerk asked.

"Yes, of course I am!" Athrun was easily getting frustrated, this thing's been bugging him for a damn while now.

Lacus looked concerned, more for the lady than her companion, "what if she didn't break into your room? Is it possible for someone to get into a unit without having to log in here?" She turned to the clerk.

"Well... she must have a key, of course," the lady calmly replied.

That answer immediately gave Athrun an start, he slowly moved his eyes from the book to the clerk as he remembered that he didn't have the key to that vacant room, so was it possible for her to have it?

It definitely was.

But then, did they just lose their only lead? He sighed defeated, and turned to Lacus, "we're gonna have to find a new start."

Both of them went back into his unit and thought things as thorough as they possibly can, what else do they have?

Athrun turned to the vacant room, unmindfully inserting the key and turning the knob, he just wanted to see it again, to feel it again. Something was there—rather, someone used to be there, he was sure of it and to some extent he felt strong longing towards it.

It was the same as he first saw it, with a bed, a desk, empty dressers and bookshelves. All spotlessly clean and tidy, just the way it _isn't_ supposed to be.

He was again saddened to think that he lost a dear friend, a person who made everything right, and when he didn't even know if he was even alive, or if he died, or whatever happened to him for that matter.

That blonde was the only hint they had into figuring out Kira's existence, if she didn't come that day would they have noticed the peculiar occurrences? If she wasn't there, what would've happened? Would he have celebrated someone else's birthday? Would he just continue to live on normally, not even being aware of some person's sudden disappearance? How could he have forgotten in the first place?

He sighed exasperatedly, all he could think of were questions and not even a single clue to a chance of getting an answer.

"I wonder..." Lacus suddenly muttered, also taking a peek inside the vacant room, not really aware of what she should expect so she didn't feel the need to react, "what led the rest of us into thinking that May eighteenth was your birthday?"

He stared at her as she walked to enter the room, he thought about the possibility of a retainment of some sort, things that couldn't be easily erased. Everyone remembered the date, the cake and the party, but they didn't remember the person. Some things just can't be erased, more particularly tangible things that were already there before that fateful day.

What the hell happened on his birthday?

When did he disappear anyway? Before that day, everything was normal, but exactly what was normal? He couldn't remember, "do you remember when that crazy blonde said that Kira introduced you to her? Where was that? And how did it happen?"

Lacus thought about it, she felt a little bit of nostalgia upon meeting the blonde but she was sure she didn't know her, if she did, she would never deny it. However, if you think about it, that blonde certainly acted as if they knew each other, did they really? There's no way she'd know for sure. "I don't know, I don't really remember..."

Athrun sighed, things certainly weren't in their favor, and it was getting hopeless. "Can you think of any other person that had somewhat a connection to Kira? Excluding our colleagues of course."

She looked thoughtful again, "I think I might know someone..." she trailed off, narrowing her eyes with a small frown.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, "who?"

Lacus was hesitant, but it was surely worth a try, "what about you're ex-girlfriend?" She said barely a whisper yet audible enough for him to hear.

"I don't have an ex-girlfriend," Athrun was too quick to react.

She was a bit startled, "oh, you're right. Maybe, you don't..." She realized most of the things she remembered about Athrun, probably weren't about him at all. She then cautiously raised her gaze to meet his, "but Kira does."

* * *

After stuffing the book inside her sling bag, Cagalli was finally done for the day, she needs to get home now since both her body and mind were practically begging for some rest, all of this was completely draining her. She sat herself on an empty waiting shed, she knew she should figure out where to look next. But where?

Where would Kira be if he existed?—wait! What was she thinking, questioning her own brother's existence? He was alive! She knew he was—wait, 'was'...?

Cagalli covered her face with both hands, she was certainly loosing it. And it just makes everything feel worse knowing that she was helpless, what the hell was she supposed to do?

She took a few deep breaths, tried to calm herself down and recollected her thoughts. Disregarding the part where she questioned her brother's life, where would he be? She looked up, as if asking the heavens for a sign, anything to get her back on her feet, anything to replenish her will to go on.

Then, it rained.

"Yeah, well, screw you!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, pointing accusingly at the clouded sky.

It was already too late when she realized that someone else had taken refuge in the waiting shed, and she can only bet in her mind that he heard everything she said, or yelled. She slowly lowered her arm and sat back down at the farthest side of the bench, looked away to the other direction, trying her best to hide her shame.

Thankfully he didn't say a thing, he merely smiled to her direction and sat himself on the empty seat.

After a little while, the rain still wasn't letting up and she fidgeted in her seat. Then she noticed the other person staring at her, as if in deep contemplation. She shrugged it off and turned her head around when she heard him speak. "Uhm, excuse me..."

She looked back at him, she noted his features, he sure looked harmless. "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering, since you looked familiar..." he paused, as if thinking of what to say. "Did you visit the main office of Zaft corp. this morning?"

Cagalli felt her eyebrows furrow slowly, she did visit that place earlier before she went to the library, of course she had to check where her brother worked, right? "Yeah, I did. Why?"

"I knew it was you," he chuckled slightly. "You see, I worked there and saw how you made a little scene back there in the lobby, what happened?"

She felt a sweat drop, "yeah, I wanted to look at some employee's records, but the lady at the counter said they didn't have any for the person I was looking for." She remembered that she almost threw a fit, almost. She couldn't help it, she was already too dejected then and no one could possibly blame her if they knew what she was going through, right?

"I see, so they weren't able to help you?" He asked, sounding too sincere even for himself. He didn't know why he was even intruding in her affairs, but getting stuck in this rain with nothing to do but wait, was a little boring. He wanted to talk to anyone at least.

"Unfortunately," she eased herself in the conversation, he seemed like a really well-mannered guy.

"Maybe, I could help you. I work on the Human Resources department." He then offered a hand, "my name's Nicol. You are...?"

She smiled at him as she took his hand, "I'm Cagalli, nice to meet you."

For some reason, he felt too at ease with her and suddenly felt nostalgia, it was as if he knew her before, or possibly she reminded him of someone he used to know. "Who're you looking for, by the way?"

"Oh, yeah... Well, I was looking for my brother, he kinda... sorta, used to work there." Cagalli felt unsure whether she should tell him the truth or not.

"Ohh... so, what's his name? Maybe, I know him," he honestly hoped to know him and to be of some help.

The blonde smiled sadly, she didn't know if he would believe her. Then again, this is another good place to start and maybe, he could help her look for that girl too. "His name's Kira, Kira Hibiki."

The smile on his face slowly dropped as he was suddenly reminded of the name on the cake. It was as if thunder struck him and felt something twisting from his gut, was that Kira the same person? "When's his birthday?" He didn't notice himself blurt it out, but still he waited in great apprehension, it can't possibly be on the same day, right?

"May eighteenth," She answered instantly, curious as to why he popped the question out of the blue. "Why?"

This time, Nicol visibly shivered, that _was_ the day! He slowly inched away from her, not wanting to believe such a crazy coincidence. Then again, he was already here. "Would you please come with me over to my place? I think I have something I want to show you."

Cagalli didn't know what to make of the situation, was he picking her up? But then again, he didn't even look interested in her that way, also, the matter of the discussion was her brother. And she might just be desperate enough to go along with a guy she hasn't ever known, "sure, but tell me first what it is that you want to show me," maybe he just looked too nice that she couldn't possibly bring herself to misjudge him, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to be careful, she was still a girl after all.

Nicol chuckled sheepishly, of course she would have her doubts, they didn't really know each other. "It's a cake, with Kira's name on it." Saying her brother's name like that kinda left him a longing feeling, it was as if he was used to uttering it everyday.

Suddenly, she grabbed him by the end of his sleeves and almost yanked him up, "let's go now!"

He was a bit surprised, but then understood what she might have been feeling for someone who's in search of a beloved. The rain has also stopped, and he did ask her to go with him, he nodded.

They ended up hailing a taxi, they can't wait for the bus anymore. It was near a twenty-minute ride, and Cagalli was a bit apprehensive seeing that his home was on the way of her brother's _supposed_ complex. She remembered the events that took place there with her brother's supposed best friend and girlfriend as she let out a frustrated sigh, this isn't about them, she doesn't have to bother. But if she _is_ able to find her brother and get him back, how would they all deal with things?

Nicol then nudged her, "we're here."

They got off, paid and walked to a modern two-storey house that had a nice yard and front porch, it reminded her a lot of her mother's new home. She shook her head and quickly followed after the green-haired lad to the door. He led her to the living room as he made his way to the kitchen to fix her a drink and to get the box of cake.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary in the room, but she couldn't help not noticing the grand white piano near the balcony, it was too beautiful for words. She didn't know how to play any instrument, so she'd always admire those who could and for one thing, she believes those kinds of people have something special in them, even more so for those who played the piano.

"Here," Nicol walked back into the room and placed two glasses of juice on the coffee table, along with a bowl of cookies and the box of cake that he wanted to show her, "please, feel free."

"Thanks," she smiled at him gratefully, he was just too kind and for a second there, she kinda thought he acted like a girl, now she didn't need to let him know that. She walked over to him and stared at the box, "is this it?"

He looked at her apprehensively before nodding and proceeding to take the lid off, "I ordered this for a surprise birthday party of a friend of mine, but we never got to eat it because he claimed that it wasn't his birthday, he even got mad before walking out on us."

"Aww, couldn't he just have pretended it was his birthday? I mean, you guys could've just had a laugh about it," she knew it was such an awkward situation, not just for the one who got surprised on the wrong date, but also for those who attempted on it.

"Well, it had been a bad day for him, and it really was our fault in the first place, we didn't only got the date wrong but the name on the cake as well." Nicol smiled sadly as he took the cake out, that was such a disaster.

Cagalli watched him carefully, he looked truly sincere, "how did you get the date and the name wrong in the first place?" She shifted her gaze from him to the cake in front of her, it reads, 'Happy Birthday, Kira!'

"To be honest, I have no idea," he was completely baffled at himself, "we've all been preparing for that day for weeks, but then, everything suddenly fell apart... we didn't even know where to pick things up afterwards."

"What do you mean? What happened?" The blonde inquired, she was starting to feel that certain twist in her gut again.

"Everything was going great, perfect in fact... then all of a sudden, everything turns out wrong," maybe he was just making excuses for himself, but still, "there was just no way, I'd make a mistake like that... I mean, I've know Athrun for God knows how long, I'm sure I know when his birthday is."

"—wait, did you say Athrun?" Cagalli interrupted him.

"Uhh, yeah...?" Nicol tilted his head.

"Guy with blue hair, green eyes, living in the Plants complex, room 803?" She listed down the things she knew of him.

The green-haired lad merely nodded, "that sounds like him."

"Ugh...!" She let out a growl, "you mean, that bastard shares the same birthday as my brother?"

Nicol raised an eyebrow after hearing her call him a bastard, but was still able to give her an answer, "no, like I said before, he said it wasn't his birthday."

It was now Cagalli's turn to raise an eyebrow, what the hell was going on? Didn't he just say he was sure that day was Athrun's birthday? "So, then it wasn't his birthday?"

"That's what he said, but I'm sure it was _someone's_ birthday..." The lad looked down with a sigh, he knew he wasn't making any sense, and now she probably thinks he's crazy.

Cagalli slumped and turned to the couch to sit herself, "do you wanna know why I'm looking for my brother? It's because he suddenly went missing the day of his birthday, that day of May eighteenth." She looked up at the guy before continuing, "I wanted to surprise him but when I got to his unit, it was just his roommate who was there, and that was Athrun."

"But Athrun doesn't have a roommate," it was now Nicol's turn to consider if she's crazy, maybe they both were.

"Yeah, that's what he said... but there was just no way, I'd make that mistake... I'm sure that was Kira's unit." She used the exact same words that Nicol did to make him understand her, maybe they really were both crazy.

"I... don't know what to say," he felt helpless at their condition, but at the same time, felt glad that he wasn't the only one going through such an ordeal. "In any case, let's see if Kira has any record in our company's database, then we can call Athrun and talk to him."

Cagalli stared at him, was he believing her? She didn't even believe herself, and yet... well, she did believe him too. "Thanks, that'll be such a great help. But please, I'd rather not have anything to do with Athrun."

"Why? He might know something," Nicol walked over to his computer.

"We... when we met, we didn't exactly leave a good impression," she chose stop there, unsure if she was willing to share the embarrassment she caused herself.

"I see, that's fine," he would leave it be. Turning on the computer and accessing Zaft corp.'s main database, he quickly typed, 'Kira Hibiki,' and clicked search.

Cagalli watched in great apprehension at the monitor, mentally preparing herself for whatever's gonna come out of this.

_"No search results found."_

She tightly closed her eyes before turning her head away, and heaving the deepest breath she could ever muster if her life depended on it.

Nicol watched her, "maybe, we should call Athrun?"

_No..._ She pleaded in her mind, she was _not_ gonna go back to that guy, isn't there someone else? Then her eyes suddenly flew wide open, _there_ was!

She turned back to Nicol, "do you mind searching another person for me?"

"No problem," he shrugged and erased Kira's name before preparing to type on her dictation.

"Flay Allster," Cagalli muttered as Nicol allowed his fingers to glide around the keyboard, and there she was, the redhead she met earlier.

"This is her profile, but there's nothing much in it... except for her school and city," Nicol made the best of what the redhead had in her profile, she was pretty and that was all he figured.

"She's attending the same school Kira did," the blonde whispered audibly, "I need to meet her."

* * *

Athrun and Lacus stood in front of big double doors, they made their way to the house of "Kira's ex-girlfriend", which happens to be an estate in the remotest part of the city. It was the bluenette who rang the door bell and after waiting for a while, the door opened to reveal the person they least expected.

"YOU!" Cagalli yelled, pointing directly at his face.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

1.) Yeah, Dearka 's cameo just had to be him going on a date, it's his birthday after all...XD

Anyway, sorry I had to build up so much before they met... but anyway, they've finally met again (even for just the cliffie) so stay tuned! *evil laugh!*

Again, let me remind you guys to tell me what you think, because I might end up going back to LIAFT for a bit...

(.^_^.)

~Lynx

03292013


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